Holy Information

It has been a week full of information. I am completely exhausted, I feel like I have taken notes for a college class I don't want to be in.

I have prayed and prayed for the Lord to put the exact doctors in my path, and man has he been good to me. Dr. Kuhn on Monday was so amazing and then today we met with the Medical Oncologist, Dr. Silvana Bucur. She is just as amazing! I am feeling very blessed and at ease. I know we are in good hands. Doug laughed and said, "what is going on with all this female energy?" I told him he should be used to it by now. This is what Dr. Bucur told us:

Doug will take Temozolomide seven days a week during the 6 weeks of radiation. Following that he will be put on a 28 day cycle, 5 days one the chemo pill and 23 days off. That will last between 4-6months, just depending on how things go. He will have lots of labs done to monitor his cbc and liver. They will also be watching his bone marrow to make sure it does not go down to much. He will be put on Bactrin, it is an antibiotic, as a precaution. I guess their is a type of pneumonia he could get. (bad note taking right there,can't remember the name) She said about the 3rd or 4th week he will start to feel fatigue, nothing that will put him on bed rest, just listen to his body and rest when needed. She told us this is our first phase, we will see how it goes and re evaluate after this phase. She said we'll just see if this will knock it down! He can't have raw eggs, meat, fish and no alcohol. She was very informative.

Tuesday we had Doug fitted for his "mask", it is what holds his head in place during radiation,and also has the exact marks on it where the radiation goes. They get everything all lined out to where he will be and if he isn't in that exact spot, the machine won't turn on. I guess they have a 2mm leeway.

The TLC class on Wednesday was very interesting to me. Doug and I were the only two in the class, which made it go by really fast. They talked about nutrition, taking care of your body when you need rest. Then the treatment tech came in and talked to us. I could have listened to her talk all day. It was so intriguing how they get the radiation so precise on the location. How they actually collaborate all the CT scans and MRI's together and locate the direction they will enter the radiation. There is a lot of precise decisions to be made. Crazy how far medicine has come.

Doug is feeling really good, he has been out to practices, and games. Still on the sideline close by the dugout. Not ready to be in the dugout. But definitely coaching his girls a bit! The joy those girls bring him is crazy, I know maybe before all this he might have said they brought him, headaches, but now we know that wasn't the girls! :-) He truly cares for those girls and their success. It makes me love him a bit more seeing the love he gives those girls and the way he cares for each of them. What a good guy!

As we were leaving MSTI today, headed to a softball game, I ran to use the bathroom. As I sat there I heard a mans voice, and thought oh know did I walk into the mens! Then I a lady say don't leave me, I could see a wheelchair, the man said I will be right out the door. She responded, I won't be able to push myself back out. As I washed my hands I said out loud, "would you like me to wait for you?" she said, oh yes please. So I waited and she says ok ok. I walked closer to the stall, and here was an elderly woman, very small and fragile. I told her just to sit down and I would push her to the sink and out to her husband. She washed her hands and I helped her out the door. Her husband says oh my thank you so much. I told them no problem. I reached down, squeezed her arm and said have a great day. She grabbed my hand and said Thank you honey, you are an angel to help me. But see I see it as she was the angel. We were running late to Bents game and were in a hurry, but there was something that made me slow down, and ask if she wanted me to wait for her. When she told me thank you, the look in her eyes was as if she could see to my soul. There was just something about her that brought me peace.

It was a very crazy day for me today and was feeling very frazzled. So I went to my Bible and randomly opened it. This is what I opened to:

Psalm 106

Praise the Lord. Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; his love endures forever. Who can proclaim the mighty acts of the Lord or fully declare his praise? Blessed are they who maintain justice, who constantly do what is right.

Love and Blessings to all!